The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-23
The ENGLISH IN AFRICA.
The Progressiyeness Which the British
Brought to the Dark Continent.


The Prosressiveness Which the British
Brought to the Dark Continent.
Neither the progressiveness of the
Mohammed an Arab nor the Protest
ant Dutch were a match for that SUI
perior progressiveness which the
British brought to the development of
South Africa. By fair means or foul
and foul much of it was, forsooth-
they have gradually dispossessed the
Dutch of nearly all their valuable pos
sessions. In 1896 they dispo ssessed
the Dutch Government of the Cape.
and in 1925 virtually coniscated more
than half the property of the Beers
who remained. by compelling the hold
ers of their paper six dollars. which
they had issued for four shillings, to
accept one shilling and six pence
each for them. In 1886 the
Beers abandoned the Cape and
eight thousand of them founded the
free republic of the Transvaal. Even
here the, British pursued them, and
they emf grated westward toward the
Orange river. In 1852 the British Gov
eminent was induced to acknowledge
the independence of the Transvaal
Republic; yet, when some twenty-five
wears later it was discovered to contain
diamond fields. the Transvaal was
forcibly annexed to the crown of En-
gland by Sir T. Shepstone. This Oc.
Cured in 1877. Other encroachments
are still going on, and within the COM
ing half-century it is quite probable
that the British flag will wave over the
most valuable and salubrious portion
of the African continent namely. the
entire table lands from the Cape OF
Good Hope to the line of the Zambesi
and Congo. Nor is this result to be
deplored. The Arabian, the Portuguese
and the Dutch have all failed to develop
the natural resources of Africa. The
British alone have scorned to enslave
the natives and gone to work with
their own stout hands and hearts.
Nor is it to be supposed that its
greater proximity to to the equator
renders South Africa less fit for Anglo.
Saxon colonization than Europe or
North America. The mean altitude OF
all Europe is but 971. Al feet above the
sea- and this, believe. is greater than
North America. On the other hand,
Africa has mean altitude of no less
than 2, 169. SO feet. So that the climate
of the table lands in latitude 20 in
South Africa is as bracing and healthy
as that of latitude forty in Europe.
Mr.. Salt was among the earliest of
English explorers in South Africa;
then followed Captain Boteler in 1923.
Livingstone in 1857, Hartley in 1865
and numerous others since. Hartley's
explorations led to the re-discovery of
the TAFT (not Tete) gold field. longi-
tude %, latitude 81. 80. and to the in
vestigations of Karl Manch in 1866.
and the mining bubble of 1S69-70
Among the failures of this period was
the London and Liverpool Mining
Company, headed by Sir John Swim
burne, Bart This venture was in the
Tati region.
After this. about 1S71-73. a new line
of re-discoveries led to other bubbles.
Leydenberg and Pilgrims Rest dis
tricts, both on Baneto's old line of
march, and both explored by his one
thousand greedy followers, were
opened to Anglo-Saxon enterprise. In
1873 this line was pushed northward to
Batua (ZumbaoD, and it has since
been pursued to the Zambesi river.
Last year, 1886, letter from this city
was published in the London Times,
which gave a marked impetus to the
mining boom. Concealing the fact
that the whole of Sofala and Mono
motupa has been repeatedly explored
for gold-first by ancient civilized race
or races; second, by the Arabs, and
third, by the Portuguese-and bestow-
ing new and unpronounceable names
upon well-knnwn localities. the latter
proceeded to show how much gold was
being and was going to be shipped
from these places through Capetown
to England. 1t predicted an export in
1887 of little less than 81 000 900, equal
to about one-third the entire product
of California. So enormous and sud-
den a production as this promised
merited investigation, and it was with
this view that / came to Capetown. So
far as l have been as yet able to ascer-
tain, the Times letter has but small
in fact. However, the
country is extensive and the mining
numerous, and much remains
vet to be seen.-AteI Del Mar, in San
Francisco Chronicle